Kanniktuk
Kanniktuk (Maskwacis Plains Cree: ᑰᓇᐊᐢᑮ) officially "The Republic of Kanniktuk", is a autonomous island republic, that lays on Ward Hunt Island. With 5.4 sq mi ranks Kanniktuk number 243rd by size. Kanniktuk borders with Canada in all directions except the north. The nearest civilization is Alert by 173 kilometers. Around 88% of people live in urban areas. The Island was settled by both Inughuit and Netsilik eskimos. The first contact with Canada was made trough Pelham Adrighs, on the Gorge Nares expidition in 1876. In the 1933, after the Statute of Westminister, the Kanniktuk where quick to announce that they where an independent country. They first got denied by both the british and french. In 1939 as a protest against the deny, they made there own flag made out of cloth they recived as a gift from the british. And raised the flag on top of Walker Hill, the highest elevation. In 1939, the 22 of august, they recived independence by the british as they decided, that the island was not an important military, nor factory area. The island got full independence after entered the UN trusteeship in 1951. Ward Hunt Island is a sedimentary island wich allowed for a small mine to open in 1954. Therefore the asphalt industry stood for a large portion of economy until 1989 when the mine was needing a larger area to operate which the Kanniktuk government did not allow. Instead, the government focused on tourism and, especially tourism still stands as a large portion of the economy. History It is not known when the island was settled but a small population of the Inughuit people went further north, crossed the Baffin Bay, Went North-East towards the weather station of Alert, therefore followed the Baffin Bay towards the Lincoln sea, to then change direction, following the sea (Cape Columbia) in a western direction until they settled on a permanent site, the huge block of ice surrounding the island. The small tribe must have noticed cracks in the ice following a hotter summer, so in response they wanderd upon the island to settle a permanent encampment, the Ward Hunt Island. In the mean time, a group of Netsilik Inuits, started wandering in a northern direction, crossing the Lancaster Trough, to continue to cross another bay, to arrive to Ellesmere Island, to continue to wander in a northern direction until they reached Péninsule Marvin, where they went out to the island, via canoots and settled on the island, together with the Inughuit people. Geography The Island is covered in tundra climate, and the terrain is mountainous. 'Flora' The Island has Arctic Moss on the west side of Walker Hill, but no other flowers or plants. 'Fauna' Some Polar Bears have been seen around the island, Snowy Owls have also been discovered, but no other animals seem to live on the island. Politics Kanniktuk is a republic with a parliamentary system of government. The president is both head of state and head of government. Every 4 years a party is elected, that very political partys leader, is elected president. There are 51 places in parliament, where out of 31 are Category:Countries